COURSE C – 2017: Good and Evil in Characters

“In every well-written play the battle rages between the primary powers of Good and Evil, and it is this battle which constitutes the life impulse of the play, its driving force, and is basic to all plot structures…”
Michael Chekhov

Within a play, the powers of Good and Evil can manifest themselves in the forms of characters. An actor needs to find a way to relate to the thinking and reactions of characters that are tragic, brutal or strange. How can an actor or director handle the evil side of a character? How can they handle the character’s inner breakdown? How can they manage their acting technique around the fight between good and evil? What do the actor and director want to say to the audience through these characters? How does the actor or director want the audience to feel having seen these characters?

This workshop will examine both characters and themes of good and evil as examples from works by Marina Carr, Neil LaBute and Harold Pinter. By using various elements of the Michael Chekhov Technique, such as psychological gesture, imaginary body, imaginary centre and atmosphere, participants will find a way to act characters from these contemporary plays with joy and freedom from their emotional memory.

Participants may bring a monologue/dialogue from one of the authors with them. A collection of scenes will also be available at the workshop.